When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Justin Fields in March, their main expectation was that he would compete.
The Steelers do not need the 25-year-old Fields to be their new franchise quarterback, even though there is still a gap since two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger retired three seasons ago.
Instead, Fields is excited to learn from Russell Wilson, while also challenging the nine-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl champion.
Fields will have his first opportunity to showcase his skills when he starts the Steelers’ preseason opener on Friday against Houston at Acrisure Stadium.
The coaches “want me to come out and be a leader to the team,” Fields said. “The biggest thing is being a leader for the offense and just carrying the guys.”
Wilson hurt his calf on the day the Steelers reported to training camp. For the preseason opener, head coach Mike Tomlin chose to sit the veteran quarterback, who has had a limited workload during practices at St. Vincent College.
“I’m just trying to take advantage of each and every rep that I get,” Fields said. “I know that if (Wilson) wasn’t hurt, I wouldn’t be in this position. These are opportunities for me and I’m trying to take full advantage of it.”
Fields has shown the talent that led the Bears to draft him No. 11 overall in 2021. However, he has also shown some accuracy issues, which contributed to the Bears deciding to move on from him and draft Caleb Williams No. 1 overall this spring.
Tomlin is pleased to have Fields in Pittsburgh.
“I think he just comes to compete every day,” Tomlin said. “He’s got an awesome competitive spirit. We’ve got a competitive environment and it seems like he’s enjoying it.”
Pittsburgh revamped its quarterback room in March by signing Wilson to the $1.21 million veteran’s minimum after his release by Denver. Kenny Pickett, the team’s first-round pick in 2022, requested a trade after Wilson’s arrival.
As a result, the Steelers traded him to Philadelphia and acquired Fields from Chicago for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025. Pittsburgh later signed Kyle Allen and allowed Mason Rudolph (Tennessee) and Mitch Trubisky (Buffalo) to leave in free agency.
Wilson was listed as the starter and Fields as the backup on the team’s first depth chart released this week. Although Tomlin has said that Wilson has the “pole position” for the starting job, he still called it a quarterback competition.
“Everything that we do is an audition, not only for (Fields), but for others,” Tomlin said. “What happens in a stadium is weighted heavier than what happens in a practice setting because it’s more game-like.”
In Chicago, Fields had a record of 10-28 as a starter with 40 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He also rushed for 2,220 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Only Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton had at least 40 touchdown passes and 2,000 rushing yards in their first three seasons. In 2022, Fields threw 17 touchdown passes and ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns on a team that ended with a 3-14 record.
Even if Wilson starts, Fields can still help the defense get ready for mobile quarterbacks like Jackson and Deshaun Watson.
“He’s fast, that’s for sure,” Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith said of Fields. “I took a bad angle on him on a read option play and he got outside me for a touchdown. He’s very unique in his talents, so he’s going to be a huge asset for us.”
Fields recently said this is the hardest training camp he has ever experienced. Despite this, Fields is glad to move on from his three uneven seasons with the Bears.
“I’m just trying to control what I can control and work as hard as I can,” Fields said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
